Centaurea melitensis

Centaurea melitensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Centaurea
Species:	C. melitensis
Binomial name
	Centaurea melitensis; L.

Centaurea melitensis (called Maltese star-thistle^[1]^[2] in Europe, tocalote or tocolote in western North America) is an annual plant in the family Asteraceae, 1 to 11 decimetres (4 to 43 in) high, with resin-dotted leaves and spine-tipped phyllaries. This plant is native to the Mediterranean region of Europe and Africa. It was introduced to North America in the 18th century; the first documented occurrence in California is in the adobe of a building constructed in San Fernando in 1797. It is also naturalized on a number of Pacific islands.

Conservation

It is considered rare on the Maltese Islands, being listed in the Red Data Book.^[3]

Gallery

References

^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
^ NRCS. "Centaurea melitensis". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 13 January 2016.
^ "Centaurea melitensis (Maltese Star-Thistle)". maltawildplants.com. 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2021.

University of California, Davis, Agricultural and Natural Resources Archived 2006-02-06 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment
Photo gallery
Media related to Centaurea melitensis at Wikimedia Commons

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[BSBI07-1] BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.

[2] NRCS. "Centaurea melitensis". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 13 January 2016.

[maltese-3] "Centaurea melitensis (Maltese Star-Thistle)". maltawildplants.com. 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2021.

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